Malamutes have very thick coats and are therefore high maintenance in the grooming department. They need daily brushing in order to keep their coats looking good and any shed hair under control. They are heavy shedders which like other breeds tends to happen more in the Spring and then again in the Autumn when Malamutes need even more grooming. It pays to get a Malamute professionally groomed at least 2 to 3 times a year because it makes keeping their coats tidy that much easier in between their visits to a grooming parlour.
Malamutes don't need to be bathed too frequently and if they do, it's best to leave this up to a professional groomer who would be able to make sure a dog's coat is thoroughly dried after they've been bathed.
Malamutes need to be given a lot of daily exercise and ideally, this needs to be for at least 1 hour twice a day. If possible, these dogs love to run free so they can really let of steam, but you should only let a Malamute off their leads in a place where it is safe to do and where there's no risk of them running off and worrying any other animals and livestock.
These days there are lots of sledging clubs dotted around the country which are a great place to take a Malamute so they get to do what they were originally bred to do - namely pull a sledge.
Alaskan Malamutes are large dogs and therefore the cost of feeding one is higher than smaller breeds and other large dogs. If you decide to get a Malamute puppy, it's important for them to stay on the diet they are used to otherwise they might end up with a tummy upset. Breeders normally give new owners a feeding schedule for their puppies and it's essential these be kept to and to feed puppies the same food. You can change their diet, but this needs to be done gradually when the time is right.
Although not known to be fussy eaters, you should not feed an Alaskan Malamute lower quality dog food because it would not contain the right levels of nutrients to meet a dog's daily requirements which could result in them developing damaging deficiencies in minerals, vitamins and other valuable nutrients that dogs need to remain healthy.
